A Summer With A Goddess
by EasierToForget
Summary: After the inu gang defeat Naraku, Inuyasha decides to spend a summer in Kagome's time. What will he find there, and what secrets will be revealed? PLEASE R&R!
1. Default Chapter

**A Summer With A Goddess**

By Jade Dennis

**Disclaimer: **I do now own the characters of _Inuyasha_, they are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi-sensei and the wonderful people at Viz Productions. (Yeah, I'm a professional) I am not exploiting these characters and am making not profit from my work. (although I wish I was)

**Summery: **The Inu Gang defeat Naraku and Inuyasha makes the wish for the Bone Eater's Well to remain open. With the portal forever open, he decides to spend a summer in modern times with Kagome. What will he find there and what secrets will be revealed? Inuyasha/Kagome

**A/N: **I don't have a beta reader right now and my Microsoft Word is being really gay. Can you tell? I'm working out of notepad as of right now. So please bear with the grammar and spelling mistakes. But I am looking for a beta reader and if anyone is interested, give me a jingle!

**Prologue**

It was over. It was done with. They had completed their job. End of story. The shard hunters had defeated the dreaded Naraku with a little help from Kikyo and the Shikon no Tama had been completed. The journey had lasted for the better part of four years, and now they could all take a much need rest. As the dust fell over the battlefield and the clouds began to clear, one couldn't help but wonder whether it truly was the end or not. The world was still infested with youkai, there were still many humans with evil in their hearts, but the Shikon no Tama had been restored. They had the jewel, so why bother fighting on? Their mission was finished, was it not? But there was still one problem at hand.

A wish had to be made; a good one. Who was to make it? Miroku desperately wanted to take the jewel for his own but he felt as though it did not belong to him. A few years ago, the monk had planned on wishing to be eternally surrounded by beautiful women. However, Sango was now the only woman he wished to be with. He also wanted the cursed line of the Kazaana to be removed from his family line, but he had a feeling that it was already taken care of.

Sango wanted her family and fellow villagers back. Since the incident she secretly blamed herself for their deaths. She saw it as her own fault for not being able to protect them when they needed it most. The slayer knew that she should allow them to rest in piece amongst their ancestors and the angels, but the feeling never left her soul. She wanted to bring them back from the dead, but she knew that the wish did not belong to her.

Shippou originally wanted to summon his dad and the rest of his family from the grave; that was why he joined the battle to begin with. But within time he had learned to accept their fate and knew that there was nothing he could really do about it. He had found a new family amongst the shard hunters and had found that this was where he belonged. All he really wanted now was to know that everyone was happy.

As for Kagome, she didn't care what happened; as long as the jewel was put to a good use. The only reason she began to hunt the Shikon no Kakera was because she felt guilty for shattering it. She felt as if it was her responsibility to gather the shards and keep them safe. But she did not care what the final wish was used for, as long as it was pure at heart. She had been fighting amongst her friends and even made new ones, and their happiness was all that truly mattered to her.

In all, everyone wanted Inuyasha to make the final wish. It was he who deserved it the most. He was the one who had searched it out well before any of them had even been born. From the beginning, they knew that the wish rested in his hands. After all the trouble and heartbreak he had gone through to defeat Naraku and attain the jewel, he deserved it more than anyone else. They all stood looking intently at him as he held the completed Shikon no Tama in his hands for the first time in over fifty years, waiting anxiously to hear what he would wish for. The endless silence seemed to stretch on for hours as the hanyou seemed deep in though over what to do with the jewel.

Inuyasha originally searched out the jewel with the pretence of transforming into a full youkai with its mystical powers. He was sick and tired of always being ridiculed for his half-bred blood. But when he met the priestess Kikyou, everything changed for him. When he slowly fell in love with her, he began to have doubts about his wish. She explained to him that he could use the jewel to become full human because he was already half. If the jewel was used for a good purpose it would surely disappeared and she would become a normal woman, and they could live a life happily together as humans. But on the promised day, an evil force from the outside interfered, causing the two lovers to betray each other. Inuyasha, stubbornly changing his mind after Kikyou's supposed betrayal, stole the Shikon no Tama from the village and planned to make his wish on his own. But she caught him and pinned him to the mighty Goshinboku for a dreaded fifty years.

When Kagome resurrected him from his forced slumber, Inuyasha immediately relinquished his need to become a full youkai. With the help of a priestess, Kaede, Kagome was able to subdue the angered hanyou who had mistaken her for his past lover. Kagome, as it turned out, was Kikyou's reincarnation. Unlike Kikyou, however, she carelessly shattered the magic jewel by mistake, spreading its pieces across the Sengoku Jidai. On their search to find the missing pieces, Inuyasha and Kagome, along with those they picked up on the way, grew gradually closer. He began to rethink his choice once more. Then, on a fateful day, he violently turned into a full-blooded youkai during a battle against one of Naraku's creations. He lost all sense of control and logic, and it scared him more than anything else in the world. Was that what he would become if he wished to be a full youkai? Would he hurt his friends? Would he hurt Kagome? He could not allow that to happen. Shaking off the thought, Inuyasha looked back at the jewel.

"I can't do it." His eyes were downcast, staring sadly at the glowing jewel in his open palm. "What if I make the wrong choice? What if there is some kind of awful consequence that comes from whatever I wish for? What if…" He couldn't finish his last thought as a single tear slid from his eye. It was all too sudden.

Everyone exchanged shocked glances. It must be an awful burden on his shoulders to think of a wish on the spot but none of them had thought about that. They expected him to wish to become a full youkai, or possibly a human, or for world peace and a lack of evil. They expected it to be over and done with in the blink of an eye, just another day in the life of a shard hunter. They never thought it through. Each wanted to comfort the sad hanyou but it was Kagome who made the first move.

"It's okay, Inuyasha." Her calm voice came from behind him as her warm hand was placed comfortingly on his back. "I trust you to make the right choice."

Her confidence in him made him smile inwardly, but worry and concern was still plastered all over his face. "There are consequences to everything, Kagome, and I'm just afraid of something bad coming from anything I wish for." He couldn't bring himself to look into her eyes, afraid of what he might see in them. She may sound confident in him, but she could be secretly terrified. He was afraid to see the fear in her eyes.

"Inuyasha is correct." Miroku spoke up, the wisdom of years of Buddhist training kicking in. "If not at this time, something may come along in the future that is evil and has resulted from a wish made here today. One never knows the outcome of these types of events. This is something that needs to be thought over sufficiently, rather than jumped into without thought or proper reasoning."

Inuyasha turned to Kagome and finally peered deep into her eyes. His own reflected concern, fear, and love. "I'm so afraid of losing you, Kagome."

"You'll never lose me, Inuyasha. I'll always be here for you, no matter what." Kagome smiled. Her smile was radiant; it offered such warmth and comfort. That was another way she was different from Kikyou. Although he did not realize it at the time, Kikyou wanted to change him into a human because she was afraid of his demon side, afraid of the prejudice she might receive from mating with him. But Kagome, she was different. She did not care weather he was hanyou, youkai, or human. She cared for him no matter what he looked like.

"No-" Inuyasha began but was interrupted by Sango.

"If the wish is made for good won't the jewel disappear?" Sango stopped when she noticed everyone staring at her. She had apparently stated the obvious. "Well, Kagome, how would you get back to your world without the Shikon no Tama to open the portal?"

"I never thought of that..." Kagome spoke up, placing a forced smile over her worried face. "I would never leave you guys, I'd come back. You know that. I'd find a way."

"No, Kagome." Inuyasha spoke softly, never taking his eyes off of hers. She could have sworn she saw a tear swell up there. "Once you leave, the well will be closed up. Kagome, you won't be able to come back."

"What? That's not fair! But...the jewel disappeared once and reappeared inside my body, remember? Well, maybe it will happen again! It has to! I can't leave you guys!" She sunk to her knees in defeat, salty tears staining her pale cheeks. "How can they just expect me to leave and never come back? How can I live without you guys? This isn't right!"

Inuyasha knelt down beside her and pulled her into a tight embrace. "It's going to be alright, Kagome. You said you trusted me to make the right choice, right?" She stopped crying momentarily to look into his eyes and to nod a simple 'yes'. "Well," he continued. "I've made up my mind about my wish."

The hanyou got up and walked over to the well and peered deep inside its seemingly bottomless depths. "Inuyasha!" Shippou ran up to him and tightly wrapped himself around Inuyasha's leg. "What are you going to wish for?" The innocence of a child was plastered all over the kitsune's face as he peered up at the older youkai.

"I wish," he could already feel the power radiating from the jewel from the two small words. "That the Bone Eater's Well never closes up!"

The Shikon no Tama began to glow brighter than it had ever done in the past. The gang stared in amazement as the jewel began to crack into a million tiny pieces, blinding them with a light that is so pure it is unexplainable. They were forced to turn their heads away as the light became too bright for their eyes to handle. In the chaos, Inuyasha dropped the jewel and felt it fly from his grasp. When their vision finally returned to them, the jewel was gone.

"Oh no! Did it shatter again!" Sango yelled into the blank air.

"I...I think...I think I might have dropped it..." Inuyasha answered with a half panicked, half guilty look on his face.

"No, the wish has been granted. I can sense it." Miroku spoke up, barely able to control his voice. "Inuyasha?"

"Yes, monk?"

"Did you just wish for what I think you just wished for?" He asked in pure shock.

"Depends, Miroku, what do you think I just wished for?" Inuyasha shrugged with indifference.

"I could've sworn you wished for the well to stay open…"

"Hey, you were right! Congratulations!" The hanyou praised the monk with false enthusiasm.

"Inuyasha," Kagome began, rising from her former position on the ground. "What does this mean, exactly?"

"It means that now we can see each other every day." Inuyasha replied with a soft smile. "It means that I'll never have to worry about losing you again." Once again her eyes began to swell up the forewarning of oncoming and exasperating tears. But this time, they were tears of joy. She clung onto the hanyou's haori for comfort as he once again pulled her into a comforting hug.

Sango, too, began to tear up at the romance of it all. She thought that it was beautiful that the hanyou would use his only wish to better his bond between his loved one. "Inuyasha! Do you not understand what you just did!" Miroku yelled, ruining the mood entirely. "There are serious repercussions to that wish you just made! Because you didn't specify, I wouldn't be surprised if any old youkai could travel through that well now!"

"You fret too much, Miroku." Inuyasha sighed with a pleasant smile. "Besides, we'll worry about that when it happens." Inuyasha gave the monk a sly smile and turned back to Kagome.

"Oh, whatever!" The monk through his arms up in a sign of classic surrender, knowing all too well that the hanyou would not be listening to him for a while.

"Kagome, I love you. I will always love you and I will never leave you. I promise." The young miko felt her legs turn to jell-o as Inuyasha confessed his true feelings for her. His amber eyes peered deep within her soul and filled her with a warm sense of comfort and security; she knew that the words he spoke were true. Her legs wobbled beneath her as her teenaged swooning took over her body; the only thing preventing her from falling was Inuyasha's tight embrace. She had been waiting for this moment for what seemed like decades, and here it was. All of the things that she prepared to say in her spare time immediately left her brain, leaving her mind blank and unsure of what to say.

Before anyone could make another sound, Inuyasha bent down and planted his lips lovingly over Kagome's. She pulled away at first out of utter shock but quickly melted into his kiss, wrapping her arms around his lean body and kissing him back deeply. Time seemed to freeze and yet at the same time it seemed to speed up. She wanted the kiss to go on forever but it ended as quickly as it had begun.

"Inuyasha, I love you, too!" For a third time that day Kagome began to cry. She couldn't get a hold of herself; too much raw emotion was flowing through her veins.

"Everything is going to be okay, Kagome. I promise." He reassured her. "Now we can have that 'Happily Ever After' dream of yours."

"Do you love me, Miroku?" Sango sang out to the monk, tempting him seductively. She wanted to hear his answer, and she silently pleaded for it to be a 'yes'.

"Well, uhm…you see…" He began to blush. "We'll see." WHACK! Miroku began to rub his head painfully on the spot where Sango had hit him with her massive boomerang.

"Why can't you be romantic like Inuyasha?" She whined to the monk. It was odd though, Inuyasha had never been the romantic type before, but this sudden surge of emotion really empowered her. Everyone began to laugh at Sango's remark as they headed back to Kaede's village.

**A/N:** Thanks for reading! Now, you see that little button down there? Click it and send me a review! Flames are accepted! The more reviews I get, the faster I'll update!


	2. Chapter One: A Little Rest and Relaxati...

**Chapter One:**

A crisp wind blew in from the north, rustling the branches on the sacred Goshinboku and waking the seemingly peaceful hanyou from his sleep. Cracking his back loudly in an almost cartoon-ish manner, Inuyasha took in the sight of the still sleeping Shippou on his stomach. Trying not to wake the pup, Inuyasha tried to smoothly crawl out from beneath the kitsune. Too late.

"Inuyasha! Inuyasha! Can we go visit Kagome today? Pllleeeaaassseee!" The childish fox demon jumped in pure ecstasy. As it turned out, with the wish that Inuyasha made it was truly possible for anyone to visit Kagome's time. They had each taken their fare share of trips, visiting the sites and meeting her family. Luckily, no other youkai new of the well so no problems had occurred. Yet.

"I don't know, Shippou." Inuyasha answered with a stern voice while attempting to rub the sleep from his eyes. "Maybe tomorrow, I'm not really in the mood today."

"Oh, come on!" Now he was just being immature. "Please, Inuyasha!"

"No! Now will you shut up!" Several birds in the surrounding trees retreated to the skies at Inuyasha's loud shout of anger. A pained expression fell over the small demons face and Inuyasha instantly felt guilty. "I'm sorry, Shippou. I didn't mean to yell at you, I'm just tired, that's all."

"You don't have to feel sorry for me! I could easily kick your ass!" Shippou raised his fists in a fighting stance in a pathetic attempt to seem tough.

"Feh," Inuyasha laughed and rolled his eyes. "Oh really, punk?"

"You better believe it!" Poor kid. Inuyasha was just about to pummel the small kitsune when Miroku and Sango flew down on Kirara's back. They landed just bellow Goshinboku and gave them a knowing smile, saving the kitsune from yet another one of Inuyasha's not-so-playful punches.

Two months ago, the slayer and the monk decided to 'step their relationship up a notch'. They evolved into this loving couple that resembled something out of an old John Hues movie. Although he would never really admit it, Inuyasha loved to see them together. He would gag and make noises when they kissed and protested the idea of 'being a couple', but everyone knew how he really felt. They all knew his true feelings after he confessed his love for Kagome in front of the group, making it hard to put up a strong front.

For a long time, he actually saw it coming. They were always sneaking off and whispering to each other, as if they had some important secret that only they could unlock. Inuyasha, on several occasions, would catch Miroku staring at Sango when he thought that no one was looking. This was nothing new to the hanyou, and he passed it off as another perverted plot of the delinquent monk's. After all, the low level "monk" was a diagnosed lecher. But there seemed to be a spark between them, some magical connection that sizzled in the air each time their eyes made contact.

And so there they were, sitting on the back of the fully transformed fire-neko youkai, holding hands, and smiling like the loving couple that they were.

"We have good news, boys!" Sango called from the ground, taking that mothering tone she occasionally gets while staring up at the massive tree where Shippou and Inuyasha sat. "Come down here and I'll tell you what it is!" Shippou quickly jumped from his spot on the branch and landed with grace on Sango's shoulder. Inuyasha, however, stayed up in the tree and turned his head the other way, pretending not to be interested.

"Well, somebody's hasn't changed one bit." Miroku commented under his breath with a slight smile and Sango firmly planted and elbow in his side. "Ouch!"

"Are you guys getting married?" Shippou asked innocently, changing the conversation back to the original subject. Both Sango and Miroku's faces turned red with embarrassment.

"No, Shippou, we're not getting married." The monk answered after taking a large gulp to erase the lump in his throat.

"You mean we're never getting married!" Dammit. Miroku looked around frantically for an answer but found none.

"No-that's not what I meant. I…uhm…only meant not right now. You understand, right?" He covered not so smoothly.

"Save it, Miroku." There was a moment of heated silence as Miroku hung his head in shame. From the top of the tree Inuyasha silently chuckled at the antics of the two young lovers.

"So what's the news?" Inuyasha demanded, obviously getting annoyed with the bickering. "And make it fast, I've got work to get back to."

"Sure, I bet you were just sleeping again." Sango stated calmly. Inuyasha was about to protest when she continued. "We're going on a nice, relaxing vacation up to the mountains."

"Really? When?"

"You're not coming, Inuyasha." The monk spoke up. "Sango and I will be going up a small cabin to…have some time off from our stressful day jobs. I do hope you understand."

"Can I come, guys?" Shippou begged from his spot atop Sango's shoulder. "I can keep Kirara company! And anything is better than being stuck with HIM!" Shippou threw a not-so-subtle thumb over his shoulder, pointing accusingly at the already agitated hanyou.

"Well, I guess you could tag along." The slayer answered. "You don't mind, do you Miroku?"

"What do you think!" He asked exasperated, throwing his hands in the air like a child trying to make a point. Then he dropped his voice and whispered in Sango's ear. "But Sango, we'll be doing…you know…stuff." His whispering didn't work out to well, for both Inuyasha and Shippou heard what he said with their demonic ears.

"No, I don't know, monk. Please, be a dear, and remind me?" The gang stared at Miroku expectantly, waiting for whatever lame answer he would give.

"I…uh, you know…we'll be…" His face turned beet red and burned with the fire of a thousand flames. "Cooking!"

"Fine! Whatever!" Inuyasha yelled in annoyance, throwing his hands up and turning his head in mock-anger. "I know when I'm not wanted, this isn't the first time, after all. You guys go off and have a fun little 'vacation' and I'll just sit here all by myself and rot."

"Why don't you go visit Kagome? I bet she'd love to see you." Sango suggested sweetly, giving the hanyou a bright smile.

"I can't. She said that there was some kind of big test that she had to study for."

"But I thought that they didn't have school in the future during these warm months?" The monk pondered.

"That's what I thought, too!" He sighed. "Apparently she has to go to a summer school class to make up all of the days that I kept her here." 'I actually feel a bit guilty about that', Inuyasha thought to himself.

"That doesn't mean you can't go visit her." The monk answered with a broad smile, he was desperately trying to get the hanyou out of his hair. "I bother Sango while she's working all the time!"

"But I don't want to bother her. Isn't that rude?" Inuyasha didn't know the first thing about what offended girls, and lately he had been really concerned about getting on Kagome's bad side.

"You, Inuyasha, the dreaded hanyou, defeater of Naraku, are worried about bothering Kagome?" Sango laughed playfully. "Even when Miroku interrupts me when I'm making new weapons or doing some work in the village, I'm still happy to see him."

"I still don't know. The last time I interrupted Kagome while she was studying I got yelled at for an entire week…" Inuyasha paused for a moment, thinking over his options. "You know, you're right! I'm going to go visit Kagome right now!" He jumped down from his spot on the branch but paused beside his friends.

"Now that's the spirit! Go romance the girl, Inuyasha!" Miroku winked.

"Are you guys going to take Shippou with you?"

"Sure, it's no burden on us." Sango answered, cradling the kitsune tight in her arms. "Now go!" Inuyasha gave a thankful nod, allowing a slight smile to curve up in the corner of his mouth, and ran off towards the Bone Eater's Well with a bounce in his step.

* * *

Inuyasha raced off in the direction of the well with only one thing on his mind: he had to get to Kagome. He had just seen her three days ago before she left to study, but he felt as if an eternity had passed. He loved her more than he could ever even put into words. 

Kikyou, he had thought, was the only love of his life; the only one that held the key to his heart. For months he dwelled on her death, drowning deeper and deeper into his own apathy. He swore to avenge her death, no matter what the cost was. He spent months traveling after Naraku, defeating hoard after hoard of demons in his path, but he never seemed to fill that empty place in his heart that Kikyou once filled. He wanted to run back to her and hold her in his arms, but she seemed to want nothing to do with him. He knew that this was because she was no longer the bearer of her own soul, she was just a walking corpse fueled by hatred and malice. And yet he still chased after her, never learning from his mistakes.

When Kagome saved his life and woke him from his eternal slumber, he arrogantly went on his way and ignored the reincarnated priestess. His ego was too proud to allow him to realize that his true love was right in front of him the entire time he continued his mission. Deep down he knew that there was a connection between him and the Miko, but he would never allow himself to admit it. In his mind, he was too tough for love. When he discovered his true feelings, he blamed on the fact that she was Kikyou's reincarnation, and that it was still Kikyou that he truly loved. He was blind, and in his mind, not worthy of the love of any other woman.

Inuyasha reached the base of the well in a matter of minutes. Just as he swung his leg over the edge and was about to jump in, he heard a slight rustle in the forest behind him. It was faint, but still there nonetheless. Sniffing the air with his canine nose, he immediately recognized the scent. It was Kikyou. He turned to look at her, a smile placed firmly on his lips.

"So this is what you wished for? For the well to stay open eternally?" She asked while staring blankly at the well. He didn't respond. "It's quite foolish if you ask me, but it was your decision, not mine."

"I want to thank you for helping out back there; I didn't get the chance to thank you before. I don't think we could've done it without you." She merely shrugged and continued to stare at the well, as if it was going to move or something. "So what are you going to do now?"

She thought for a minute before answering, "I think I'm going to return to the spirit world. After all, I am dead."

"Yeah." There was a long moment of silence as the just looked at each other with content. Kikyou was the first to speak up.

"I do wish you would fulfill your promise and join me in hell. But I know that you have dedicated your time to my reincarnation. I just wish things had been different between us." She paused as they both pondered her words. "Is that what you're doing now, going to visit her?"

"Yeah." He always felt awkward speaking about Kagome around her. It just felt wrong for some reason. Both still shared feelings for each other, but it was over now.

"Why, aren't you very monosyllabic today?" She teased with a warm smile; it was the first time Inuyasha could remember her smiling since she died. "What are you waiting for? Go see the girl!"

Inuyasha just stared at her in confusion for a moment, perplexed by her sudden change of attitude towards Kagome. He nodded his thanks and once again flipped a leg over the well's edge. Once more, he paused and looked back at his former lover.

"Thanks, Kikyou. I'll always love you, no matter what." And then her soul-stealing youkai lifted her off into the sky. "Kagome, here I come!"

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading everyone! And PLEASE REVIEW! 


	3. Chapter Two: Glowing

**Chapter Two**

The sun set gracefully over the city of Tokyo as yet another day passed by. Mothers began to tuck their small children into bed and fathers returned home from a long day of work. Families prepared themselves for another night of peaceful dreams of romance and fun. The nightlife of college students and local ravers woke up and slowly leaked into the brightly lit city.

At a small shrine just outside of the hustle and bustle of the rampant city, Kagome Higurashi sad deep in study at the desk in her room. The subject was American Lit and it was relatively easy. It was mandatory for Japanese students to begin learning English in grade school. She knew all of the work, passed all of the tests, and yet she was stuck decaying in summer school. They told her that it was because of her massive number of absences throughout the school year, but they didn't understand that she was too busy saving the world. If it wasn't for her, there wouldn't even be a school for her to study at in the future. In fact, there probably wouldn't even be a future!

Her train of thought was abruptly derailed when she heard something loud crash against her bedroom window. Putting down her pencil and forgetting her daydream, she tried to act nonchalant as she walked over to the glass window.

"Gee, I wonder who that could be." She sarcastically thought aloud, purposely trying to annoy they hanyou that she knew was waiting for her below.

"Kagome, let me it!" Inuyasha shouted when she reached the window. He would've opened it himself, but it was unusually locked.

"Why on Earth would I do a thing such as that?" Through the glass Inuyasha put on his infamous 'sad puppy' face that Kagome could never refuse. "Oh, fine. Come on up." She sighed and gave in to the hanyou's mock begging.

Climbing over the edge, Inuyasha stood for a moment, enjoying the soft cushion of the carpet beneath his bare feet. However, his eyes never left Kagome's glowing face. He basked in her golden beauty, which radiated from her like the sun itself. She was a goddess, and he was not worthy of her love. He eventually had to look away with a flustered face from the heat radiating from her body.

"What are you staring at? Do I have something on my face!" Kagome panicked and ran to the mirror while rubbing her cheeks ferociously in embarrassment. That was his Kagome, all right.

"No, you have nothing on your face." He came up behind her and wrapped his strong arms lovingly around her petite waste. They were just gazing at each other in the mirror before them. "I was just looking at you. You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

"Seriously?" She asked, blushing and stumbling away from the mirror. They gazed deep within each other's eyes, still in the loving embrace.

"Seriously." He answered and began to kiss her passionately on the lips.

Their lips pressed together tightly at first but quickly roamed freely. Inuyasha's tongue explored every inch of Kagome's mouth fiercely as she began to melt in his embrace. He then began to lightly kiss her neck on a circular pattern while his hands traced shapes around her bellybutton. She wrapped her arms around his waste and pulled him affectionately to the ground with a slight 'thump'. Just as their bodies hit the plush carpet, Kagome jerked away sharply.

"My homework!" She yelled in annoyance. She completely ignored the very confused hanyou on top of her. It seemed as if she was always doing that. Just as soon as they started to get intimate she would pull away and bring up school or chores. It was almost as if she was avoiding something. As if she was afraid of him; afraid of commitment.

"Just leave it for later." He said into her ear softly, not letting her go. He began to kiss her again but she didn't kiss him back.

"But-"

"Shhh…" He once again placed his lips over hers and began kissing her deeply. She took one last glance at her desk before giving in to temptation.

* * *

"Wow, Kagome, you're look great today!"

"What did you do differently?"

"Did you cut your hair?"

"Tell us all about it!" Kagome's best friends all gathered around her excitedly as they walked with Kagome to her summer school class.

"All about what?" She asked a bit shakily. Her friends were great and all, but they were always prying into her personal life. All they thought about were boys and movie stars. Kagome supposed that was what normal girls gossiped about, but she really didn't know.

"Oh, come on, Kagome! You're practically glowing!"

"What!"

"It was with that Inuyasha guy, wasn't it?"

"What? No!"

"Hojo-kun?"

"NO!"

"So it was the selfish, sarcastic and mean one?"

"Slow down, people!" Kagome yelled at the top of her lungs, standing firm before her friends. "There is nothing, and I mean NOTHING, going on between Inuyasha and me."

"You can't fool me!" Her friend Ayame stared her strait in the eye. "Kagome, we've been friends since second grade, I know you all too well. You're no longer a virgin are you?"

"Well, I…" She searched her mind desperately for the right words to say but her friends already knew that it was true. She knew that whatever she said, her friends, especially Ayame, would see right through it. "No, I'm not."

Kagome expected her friends to gasp in shock and call her a slut, but the reaction that she got was not the one she anticipated. They jumped up and down excitedly like the schoolgirls that they were, not stopping with their barrage of annoyingly innocent questions.

"What was it like?"

"Did it hurt?"

"Was it romantic?"

"Are you guys in love?"

"Are you going to get married?"

"Wow, guys." She had to stop for a moment and take a deep breath; the persistence of their interrogation was wearing her out. "It's kind of a personal thing, if you don't mind."

"No problem-o, Kagome!" Ayame answered with a gigantic grin spread across her youthful face. "But you know; now we totally have to meet him!"

It was odd. Kagome had been telling her friends about Inuyasha for quite some time, minus the whole demon thing, and yet they had never met him. He had come to her world on several occasions but she would never allow him to speak to her friends. Part of her told her that it was because they would never understand his appearance and would probably take him as some kind of freak. They hadn't even seen the pictures she had of him. Inuyasha always told her that he didn't want to meet her friends because they were 'pesky humans', but she knew otherwise. She could see in his eyes that he wanted desperately to fit in. But he was scared, both of others and himself.

"Well, that's not entirely my decision." She stopped when she came to the doors of Takai Yama Summer School and gave a subtle sigh of relief. "Well guys, this is my stop. Too bad we can't continue this conversation. Thanks for walking me!"

"Oh don't worry; we'll continue our little conversation later." Ayame winked at her as they walked away.

"I never get tired of them." Kagome whispered and walked into the massive prison of a school.

* * *

"What could be taking her so long?" Inuyasha growled angrily as he paced in Kagome's backyard. "I thought she was only going to school! It's been three hours! School can't possibly take this long!"

He continued to pace for another five minutes when he heard a car pull up in the nearby driveway. 'Oh great, just what I need.' He thought to himself.

Jumping into a neighboring tree, Inuyasha watched as Mrs. Higurashi began to carry some groceries into the house. On her second trip to the car she stopped and faced the tree.

"I know you're there, Inuyasha. You can come out now." She spoke softly in the direction of the shaded figure hiding in the tree.

Jumping gracefully down from his spot in the tree, Inuyasha went over and began helping her bring in the groceries without a word being exchanged nor a question asked. He would do anything to get on Mrs. Higurashi's good side. He didn't understand why, but she seemed to strongly dislike him. She didn't thank him for his help, but he knew that she was grateful.

"So, what are you doing here, Inuyasha?" She finally asked as they sat down at the kitchen table and she served him some hot tea. He wiggled around the in the chair for a moment, trying to get comfortable in the modern furniture.

"Just visiting." He shrugged. Something was wrong. Normally she would have shooed him out the door with the broom by now.

"Oh. Do you have another big mission to go on?" She noticed that he wouldn't tear his eyes from the steaming cup of kocha before him. He was obviously deep in thought about something, but his blank facial expression gave no hint as to what it was that plagued his mind.

"No, ma'am. There won't be too many missions for a while. We've defeated Naraku, as I'm sure Kagome told you, and there isn't much for us to do anymore." He answered calmly.

"Oh." It baffled her. He spoke of demons and battle as if they were a normal occurrence. Of course, to him, they were. But it all seemed so mystic and taboo to her.

"Mrs. Higurashi, ma'am, may I ask you a question?" He was now staring into her eyes. She nodded a slight 'yes' with a bit of worry in her movements. "What did I do wrong? To make you dislike me so much?"

The question came out of nowhere and shocked her to the core. She never expected him to actually care so much about the way she acted around him. She was wrong.

"Well, Inuyasha, the truth is, it's not really you that I dislike." He gave her a confused look and willed her to continue. "I just worry about Kagome. You come here and take her away from me. I get so afraid each time…that she might…"

"She's a miko, Mrs. Higurashi." Inuyasha cut in when he noticed the tears welling up in her aging eyes. "It's her destiny."

"I know, but what does it have to be my daughter! She's only a teenager and already she has seen so much death and destruction. She's still my baby girl." She was crying freely now, unable to keep back the onslaught of tears that broke through the well. It was something that Inuyasha had never seen her do before. "I'm so worried that one day…she won't come back."

"You don't have to worry about her, Mrs. Higurashi. She's strong, and she gets her strength from her mother." He placed a comforting hand over hers and they made eye contact once more. "I will never let anything happen to her, Mrs. Higurashi."

They shared a soft, hopeful smile for what seemed like an eternity when Sota burst through the front door.

"Inuyasha! What are you doing here?" Inuyasha gave the boy a soft smile and he continued before the hanyou had a chance to answer his question. "Mom, can I have some friends over tonight?"

"Sure, honey." She answered and he ran excitedly up the massive oak stairs. She waited until she was certain he was out of earshot before turning back to Inuyasha. "Arigatou, Inuyasha. I guess you're not so bad after all."

"Truce?"

"Truce."

* * *

A/N: Alrighty people! Thanks for reading, again! PLEASE REVIEW! Oh, I'm thinking about making an NC-17 version of this for What do you think? 


	4. Chapter Three: The Objective

**Chapter Three**

Inuyasha sat on the front porch of the Higurashi Shrine and watched the leaves from the Goshinboku rustle in the delicate summer wind. The wind held the power to blow the tree completely to the ground but was restrained by some supernatural force. It was as if the wind was waiting for the perfect moment to make its move and deliver the final blow.

At least that's what Inuyasha saw. Thoughts of battle and death were not uncommon to him and plagued his mind on a regular basis, so it was almost obvious that he would relate the delicate dance of the wind to something that he witnessed almost on a daily basis. As he watched several leaves fall from their branches his mind was devoid of any thought. It was as blank as a school chalkboard after school and it didn't show any signs of being filled out anytime soon.

"Inuyasha! Inuyasha, what are you doing here?" Kagome shouted as she raced up the steps to the Higurashi Shrine, pulling Inuyasha abruptly back to reality. "Were you waiting long?"

"No, I was just…" He paused for a moment and waited for her to sit down next to her. "I was just talking to your mom a moment ago."

"What did you do wrong this time?" Kagome asked with a slight smile.

"Nothing! We were actually carrying on a real conversation. It was…" He searched for the right word, "different."

"Did you talk about me!" Her face grew red and she hid her head in her hands in embarrassment. 'My mother can be so embarrassing at times!' she thought as Inuyasha gave her a funny look.

"No…" He wanted to make her feel comfortable, but in the same respect he knew that he should not lie to her. Lying only caused problems, and he had to learn that the hard way. "Actually, we were. But it wasn't about anything bad!"

"Sure, if you say so." She answered sarcastically, still hiding her face in her lap.

"Seriously. Look at me, Kagome. Would I lie to you?" When she wouldn't lift her head he somewhat violently grabbed her cheek and forced her eyes to meet his. "Would I?"

"No." She had to smile. His face was so cute when he tried to be serious. A year ago, she would have never expected that the hanyou was capable of showing such emotion and being so romantic. He always put up this tough-guy attitude and refused to show his true feelings. She always wanted to get closer to him, but feared that he would just block her out like always. Then when he made the decision to keep the well open and finally confessed his true feelings for her, he became this totally different person. He was more open with her and showed her his true side. It was the most beautiful side of him that she had ever seen.

"Did I ever tell you how much I love you?" He asked softly, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. She let out a subtle moan and leaned into his embrace, nibbling on his bottom lip.

"Only a million times…" She continued kissing him while muttering incoherent words into his face. "But please, tell me one more time."

"I love you more than any other woman in this world." He pulled her on top of himself and began kissing her neck roughly. They lay on the wooden porch, kissing each other deeply and passionately. "I will always love you."

"Kagome, are you out here?" Her mother asked and walked out the door to the front yard. She immediately dropped the drinks she held in her hand at the sight of her teenaged daughter rolling around on the ground with the hanyou that she carried on a conversation with just moments before. "Kagome Higurashi!"

"Mom!" Kagome jumped up and pushed Inuyasha off of her, pulling down her skirt and brushing the dirt off her uniform. "Uhm…what do you want?"

"I…uh…" Her mother blushed and shot Inuyasha a hateful look. "I just wanted to see if you wanted anything to drink." She glanced down at the smashed glasses beneath her feet and looked back up with a sad smile. "But I guess that's out of the question. I'll just…go inside now."

Both Inuyasha and Kagome watched in embarrassment as Mrs. Higurashi walked back into the house. Once she was gone, Inuyasha let out a loud sigh of relief.

"Wow. That was…terrifying." Kagome giggled and sat back down. She stared at her feet for a moment, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks.

"Shall we pick up where we left off?" He began to kiss her neck once more but stopped when he noticed that she didn't seem interested. "Alright, I guess not. What's wrong?"

"My mom doesn't know about us. She doesn't know that we're a…couple." She paused. "It must have been a shock to see her young daughter making out with a youkai from the past."

"I'm guessing that's why she dropped the drinks the way she did." He answered sarcastically, when she didn't laugh he continued. "Don't worry about it, Kagome. You're growing up and I'm sure she's ready to accept that."

"I'm just so embarrassed." She began thinking about her mother and then Ayame's words popped into her head. "Oh no!"

"What is it?"

"Uh…you see…the thing is…I kinda' promised my friend Ayame that you could meet her today…" She laughed nervously hoping that he would catch on. He didn't. "Inuyasha?"

"I thought I told you that I didn't want anything to do with your human friends?" He turned from her, arms firmly crossed and his eyes downcast. "I don't fit in with this world, Kagome."

"But Inuyasha, it won't be that big of a deal. We can get you a hat to wear, and you won't even have to talk too much." She put on her begging face. "Please, Inuyasha! I don't ask for much; please do this…for me?"

"All right, but not for long, alright?" Her eyes beamed and she gave him a tight hug before running into the house to get ready. "Girls: I'll never understand them." His eyes wondered back to the Goshinboku. The tree held so much history, most of it his own. 'Kagome, I love you, but I just don't think I can do this.' He thought.

Kagome exited the house moments later dressed in tight jeans and pink t-shirt. Blown away, Inuyasha's eyes widened and his mouth grew into a perfect "O".

"What are you staring at? Is something wrong?" She began frantically turning around, trying to find something wrong with her clothes.

"No-nothing's wrong. I've just…never seen you dressed like this. Is this normal for girls in this time?" The women he was used to always wore skirts, or long pants. It was a shock when Kagome showed up in her skimpy uniform that day in the Sengoku Jidai, but this was totally different. She looked like an adult…she looked…sexy.

"Are you saying I look bad or something?"

"No! You look…great." He walked up to her and smiled. She gave him a childish grin in return and pulled a blue hat out from behind her back.

"Here you go, now no one can see your ears!"

"Oh, thanks." He pulled the hat over his head and looked down at his bare feet.

"Is something the matter?" She asked in concern, his attitude suddenly turned to that of a depressed teenager.

"I'm just worried. What if they find out and call me a freak or something? That's what I am in this time, Kagome, a freak." His eyes were still downcast. "I just…I'm scared."

"You have nothing to worry about, Inuyasha. No one will find out your secret. I promise." He looked up and gave her an insecure smile. "Let's get outta' here!" She grabbed his right hand and began to run towards the steps to the city, with Inuyasha right behind her.

* * *

The diner was packed with teenagers and young adults starving for whatever weird food they served up. Kagome and Inuyasha sat in a large booth in the corner of the diner waiting for Kagome's friends to arrive. With a bored look on his face, Inuyasha sighed and placed his head on the table.

"Sit up, you're being disrespectful." Kagome scolded the hanyou.

"What difference does it make? Your friends aren't here yet." He retorted. "When are they going to get here? They're starting to act like you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked playfully, understanding exactly what he meant. "They should be here any minute; they probably ran into something on the way over."

Just as she spoke, Ayame and the others walked into the diner. Kagome immediately waved them over and they sat down excitedly.

"So this is him?"

"He's cute!"

"I love his hair!"

Inuyasha just sat their, nervously pulling on his hat to make sure it was still there. 'They ask too many questions.' He thought.

"Guys, this is my boyfriend, Inuyasha." Kagome formally introduced him. "Inuyasha, why don't you say something?"

"Uhm…hi." The girls giggled and began talking amongst themselves.

"Inuyasha, what's wrong?" Kagome whispered.

"I…just…don't think I should be here." The girls all looked at him. "Shit."

"So, Inuyasha, what school do you go to?" Ayame spoke up, giving Inuyasha a flirtatious look.

"Uhm…school?"

"He…uhm…dropped out of school!" Kagome spat out, only later realizing her words and growing red in the face.

"Ohhhh…a drop out!" Ayame giggled. "That's sexy, Inuyasha. Why did you drop out?"

"Well, I just didn't like being around bumbling teenaged girls." Kagome elbowed him in the ribs.

"He's just kidding." He gave her a dirty look. "So what's on the agenda for today, guys?"

"Well, we were planning on going to the mall. Do you guys want to tag along? It will be tons of fun!" Suzume giggled. 'Damn, these girls giggle a hell of a lot.' Inuyasha thought to himself.

"We've already got plans!" Inuyasha all but yelled. "We're…uhm…going to the park together this afternoon."

"Oh, I get it." Ayame winked at the two, causing Kagome to blush once more. "No big deal, we'll catch up some other time, 'kay?"

"Alright, Ayame. Call me later, okay?" Kagome said as the girls got up and prepared to leave.

"Sure, no problem." Ayame turned to the hanyou. "Nice meeting you, Inuyasha." He just nodded and watched them leave. There was a long pause at the table before Inuyasha spoke up.

"Thank God that's over." He sighed and gave Kagome a comedic smile. She just glared at him. "What?"

"I can't believe her!" Kagome shouted.

"Can't believe who?" Inuyasha asked confused.

"Ayame! She was totally hitting on you! That slut!" Kagome fumed, getting up and walking away.

"Kagome, wait! Where are you going?" Inuyasha walked after her. "Wait for me."

"No-Inuyasha. I need some time to myself." She walked out the door of the diner and all Inuyasha could do was stare at the glass door.

"Did I do something wrong?"

* * *

'I can't believe she would do something like that! Can't she tell that Inuyasha is my boyfriend! God, how can she be such a slut? It's just because he's my boyfriend and she's jealous. Yeah, that's it! She's just jealous!' Kagome walked along the sidewalk of downtown Tokyo and thought about how Ayame betrayed her. "That bitch." She said aloud.

She walked into an old antique store to take her mind off of things and to get a gift for her grandfather's upcoming birthday. The shop was filled with a bunch of dusty junk that nobody wanted, but she was still amazed by the replicas of items from the Sangoku Jidai. They almost looked authentic. She skimmed the old wooden shelves until something caught her eyes. Sitting on the top shelf was a brightly colored jewel. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Could it be? No…impossible." She reached for the jewel, stepping on the bottom shelf to reach it. She grasped the jewel in her right palm and her senses went crazy. It was the Shikon no Tama. "This is impossible, the jewel was destroyed."

Kagome ran to the front desk and ran the bell furiously until and old man stepped out from the back. Something seemed familiar about his face but she couldn't place her finger on it.

"Can I help you, young lady?" The old man asked and gave her a warm smile. She nodded and held out the jewel.

"Where did you find this?" She asked and stared him in the eyes. His smile never faded as he began to tell her.

"This jewel is the sacred Shikon no Tama, said to hold a lot of power. It was used many years ago to give youkai strength and to grant to bearer of the jewel any wish…"

"I know all of this!" Kagome interrupted. "I asked you where you got it!"

"Now, now, my dear, no need to get angry. This jewel has been in my family for many decades." The man smiled. "Is something the matter?"

"No, nothing's wrong. Uhm…is it for sale?"

"Everything in this store has a price." He smiled and took the jewel from her. "This jewel is fifty yen."

"Fifty yen!" She almost fainted at the price. She dug through her pockets and pulled out a few crumpled pieces of paper. "Okay, I've got thirty-five. Please make me a deal, sir." She pleaded with him and his warm smile disappeared.

"I don't know…this is a sacred artifact with much history behind it. How about forty-five?"

"All you care about is the money; you don't give a damn about the history of the Shikon no Tama! All have is thirty-five. Take it or leave it." The old man shrugged, surprised by her strength.

"Alright, thirty-five yen." He took the money from her and began to wrap the jewel in a decorative box. "Here you go, young lady. It has been a pleasure doing business with you."

Kagome gave him a quick smile and ran out of the shop. 'I have to find Inuyasha!' She ran down the street towards the shrine, completely forgetting the argument she had with the hanyou earlier that day.

* * *

She reached the shrine in no time and searched the grounds for Inuyasha, but he was nowhere to be found. "Did he go home?" She walked into the house and saw her mom preparing dinner in the kitchen. "Mother, have you seen Inuyasha?"

"He mentioned something about going home…Kagome; will you help me set the table?"

"Sorry, mom, I have to find Inuyasha. It's a bit of an emergency." She rushed out the door and headed strait for the well house. Opening the heavy door, she was prepared to jump into the well when she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. "Inuyasha?" She turned her head to see Inuyasha sitting on the ground in the corner, staring at the well. He didn't even acknowledge her presence. "Inuyasha, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Kagome. Just…leave me alone." He turned his head from her and looked at the wall. "Please."

"Inuyasha, what's going on?" She asked, taking a step towards him. "What's wrong?" He turned towards her and she noticed that he had tears streaming down his cheeks. "Inuyasha…"

"Kagome, go away. I'm begging you, just leave." He stared at her, not even bothering to wipe his tears away.

"I'm not leaving here unless you tell me what's going on! Inuyasha, what happened?"

"Kikyou-she…" He stopped and looked at the ground. "She's dead."

"What?" Kagome couldn't believe his words. Kikyou was so strong. Something was seriously wrong. "How?"

"Someone…" He clenched his fists. "Someone murdered her. I swear to god I'm going to kill that bastard!"

"Do you know who did it?"

"No."

"Oh, Inuyasha, I'm sorry." She looked at his tensed figure and felt a tear well up in her own eye. "It's going to be okay."

"I just…I can't believe this could happen. I was supposed to protect her…and now she's….she's…dead."

"I'm so sorry."

"Don't be, it's not your fault. It's mine."

"Don't say that, Inuyasha! It's not your fault, there's nothing you could have done about what happened."

"Yes there is!" Tears began to fall from his eyes once more. "I should have been there! I should have protected her!"

"Inuyasha…"

"No! You'll never understand, Kagome!"

'Wow. Maybe that's why the Shikon no Tama showed up in this world? I guess I should wait to tell him that.' "Inuyasha, would you like to come inside? My mom's making dinner."

"I don't know, I think I just want to sit here and think."

"Well, alright, I can't make you do anything you don't want to. If you need me, I'll be inside, okay?"

He just nodded and listened to her walk out the door. 'I think I did the right thing. He seems to need some time to himself right now. I just can't believe that Kikyou is dead. What's going on?'

"Kagome, come and join us for dinner." Her grandpa called when she entered the house. Kagome took a seat next to her brother Sota and just stared at her food.

"Nii-chan, is something wrong?" Sota asked in between gulps of food.

"No…it's just…grandpa, the Shikon no Tama has returned to this world."

"What? You mean the actual Jewel of Four Souls?"

"Yeah…I don't know how it got here, but something big is going to happen. I can sense it."

* * *

"There have been reports of a hanyou roaming our city, sir."

"A hanyou, eh? Do you know where he came from?" A dark voice asked.

"No, sir, the last reported hanyou sighting was over seventy years ago."

"I am well aware of that, Kiromaru. Keep an eye on this hanyou; I want to know where he came from and what he is doing in my city."

"Yes, sir. Oh, and one more thing, sir."

"Yes?"

"The Shikon no Tama has returned to this world, sir. It is currently in the possession of a girl named Kagome Higurashi. She seems to also have ties to the hanyou, sir."

"Well, isn't this interesting? I want you to bring me this hanyou and the Shikon no Tama at all costs, Kiromaru."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

AN: Well, there ya have it! PLEASE REVIEW! 


	5. Chapter Four: Coward

**IMPORTANT AN:** **Okay, so I finally updated! Woohoo! I also went back and fixed a few things in the first three chapters, could you PLEASE tell me if it's any easire to follow. I clicked the "bar" thing to space it out more, I'm just not sure if it actually worked.If you could let me know, that would be great!**

**Chapter Four**

He had never felt pain like this before. A slow, dull ache stabbed at his heart and throbbed throughout his entire body. It felt like he was being ripped in two. '_Kikyou is dead. How could I have allowed something like this to happen?'_

The pain of losing Kikyou brought with it a whole new fear for Kagome. Everyone he ever got close to ended up dying, he was positive of this now. His mother, his father, and now Kikyou. He was worried that if he remained close to Kagome that she would eventually be hurt, too. Or even worse, that she would be killed like all the others.

As a child, Inuyasha was taunted by the village children for being a "freak". They constantly told him that no one would ever want to get close to him because he would attack them. They made it sound as if he had some kind of incurable disease that spread to those who were brave enough to come near him. He was cursed. His mother would tell him that they were just being children and to ignore them, that what they said had no real truth behind it. But, now, Inuyasha was beginning to believe that maybe what they had yelled at him all those times was true. Maybe he was cursed to be alone for the rest of eternity. Either that, or the fates had made a sick game out of messing with his life.

Inuyasha hung his head in shame as he finally pulled his tired body off of the floor of the well house. He was exhausted and every movement made his muscles ache. He wanted to lie down and cry his heart out over the loss of his former love, but he picked himself up and slowly made his was towards Kagome's home.

The smell of freshly made oden reached his nostrils before Inuyasha even reached the front door. A slight smile graced his lips at the closeness of Kagome's family. He never knew what it was like to have a family that loved him, but he picked up on a small feeling that radiated from the Higurashi household. Everyone cared about everyone else, it was like a bond that was forged centuries ago. Inuyasha wanted desperately to place himself in the middle of her family and designate a position for himself, but he knew that it was not his family to intrude on.

Stopping just before he reached the door, Inuyasha listened in on the hushed voices coming from the kitchen table. They were having a conversation, one that sounded important. Swiveling his dog-ears on top of his head to get a better angle to hear the conversation, Inuyasha placed the side of his head to the door.

"Jii-chan, what am I going to do? Inuyasha is going to freak out when I tell him." It was Kagome's voice, she sounded stressed out over something.

'_Tell me what?_' Inuyasha asked himself in confusion.

"Kagome, you should not worry about this right now. He will find out on his own." Her grandfather replied. Inuyasha could almost picture the stern look on the old man's face.

"But I feel like I should tell him. He has a right to know!"

"Dear, you need to keep the Shikon no Tama safe."

'_Shikon no Tama! But...the Shikon no Tama was destroyed when I made the wish for the well to stay open!'_ Inuyasha's mind began to race a mile a minute with the idea of the sacred jewel being back. _'How is this possible?'_

"How did it get back in this time? It was destroyed when Inuyasha made his wish!" Kagome nearly shouted. There was the sound of a chair being roughly pushed back, followed by the patter of feet rushing up the old wooden stairs. "It must have something to do with Kikyou's death, I just know it." Kagome whispered as she rushed up the stairs, but Inuyasha heard her.

New pain rushed back into Inuyasha's system as he once again remembered that Kikyou was dead. So many things were happening at once, and the hanyou didn't know how to deal with all of them. First, he goes back to Sengoku Jidai to think over what happened at the diner, only to find Kikyou's bloody body sprawled out beneath the Goshinboku. Then he comes back to the future to hear that the Shikon no Tama has been resurrected once more. _'Something is definitely wrong.'_

Taking a frantic look around the backyard, Inuyasha quickly jumped up to the second story of the house. He tapped on the window impatiently to get Kagome's attention, but when she didn't open it he simply slammed it open on his own.

"Kagome, we need to talk!" Inuyasha shouted as he stepped into her air-conditioned room. He looked about with a sense of panic when he realized that she wasn't in her room.

'_But I could have sworn that I heard her run up the stairs...'_

The sound of water turning on in the shower down the hall caught Inuyasha's attention as he stormed out into the hallway. Pounding an angry fist on the thick wooden door to the bathroom, the hanyou grumbled a series of curses under his breath. He could smell Kagome behind the door, he knew that she was in there.

"Kagome, open up! We need to talk, NOW!" Several emotions were running through Inuyasha veins: sorrow, grief, confusion, and anger; but anger was the easiest one to deal with. "Kagome!" He heard the water shut of in the shower. There was a pause before the doorknob began to turn slightly before the door opened a crack.

Steam rushed from the heated bathroom, trying desperately to escape the confines of the muggy room. Inuyasha's eyes fell on the girl before him with a towel wrapped around her thin frame, her face flustered from the heat and her hair pulled up messily into a cotton towel. All of the insults he was about to throw at her flew out the window when he saw the half-naked girl in front of him. All he could do was stare at her.

"What is it, Inuyasha!" Kagome nearly screamed as she opened the door. She was startled to see Inuyasha standing there with his mouth practically reaching the floor. "Inuyasha?"

"Huh?" Inuyasha asked with a dazed look in his eyes. Suddenly snapping back to reality, Inuyasha licked his lips to clear out the dryness that was trying to take over roof of his mouth. "Oh, yeah. We need to talk, Kagome."

She noticed that his voice had suddenly changed from being rough and demanding to being soft and almost shy. His head was hung low and his bangs were shadowing his amber eyes, making it nearly impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"Well, can't it wait until I'm done taking my shower?" Kagome pleaded, wrapping the towel tighter around her body. Her wet hair flung in multiple directions, spraying Inuyasha with a fine mist of water, as she turned around and prepared to close the door in Inuyasha's face. Before she could close the door completely, a clawed hand stopped it and pried it open again.

"No, Kagome, it can't wait. It's very important, it's about the Shikon no Tama." Inuyasha spoke loudly, his normal arrogance returning to his voice.

_'He knows about the jewel? He must have overheard our conversation earlier!'_ Kagome began to panic as she glanced behind her at the sparkling jewel on the bathroom counter.

"Inuyasha, I was going to tell you-" She was cut off by Inuyasha's fingers being placed gently over her lips, silently telling her to speak no further. She stared at him for a moment, trying to figure out what was running through his head. The ears on top of Inuyasha's head fell back to rest on the top of his head as he leaned in and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"I know, Kagome. I didn't mean to freak out like that. It's just that so many things have happened today that I don't know what to do." He paused for a moment to take in a breath of air before continuing. "Kagome, I heard you talking to your grandfather about the Shikon no Tama. What's going on?"

"I don't know, Inuyasha." She answered truthfully. "Do you think that it might have something to do with Kik-" She stopped suddenly when she noticed Inuyasha's ears droop. "Listen, let me get dressed, then we can talk."

Inuyasha gave a sad nod before allowing her to return to the bathroom. Instead of waiting out in the hallway, he went back to her bedroom and sat down at her desk.

_'I'm never going to be able to put Kikyou in the past, am I? Do I really want to?'_ The memory of Kikyou's bloodstained face shot through his mind as Inuyasha slammed his head down hard on the wooden desk. _'Why do things have to be so hard? Goddamnit!'_ Inuyasha began banging his head on the desk and was about to slam his skull right through it when he heard the bedroom door open.

Turning around with a slightly dazed expression on his face, Inuyasha took in the sight of Kagome standing there in a pair of teddy-bear pajamas with her hair wrapped in a wet towel. She looked a little exasperated as she sat down on her bed and began to towel-dry her hair. Inuyasha could slightly see the warm glow of the pink jewel from beneath her thin cotton T-Shirt.

_'So, there it is.'_ Inuyasha thought with malice.

"So, where did you find it?" Inuyasha cut straight to the point. A large ball seemed to form in the pit of his stomach and was slowly rising to his throat. He couldn't believe that after everything they had gone to in order to destroy the jewel, it just showed up in this time like it was no big deal.

"At some old antique shop on the way home from the diner this morning." When he didn't respond she continued. "I went in there to find something for Jii-chan's birthday next week. Most of the stuff there was just cheap replicas of this stuff found in the Sengoku Jidai, but then something caught my eye." She paused for a moment and subconsciously fingered the jewel that hung from her neck. "I asked the guy if it was for sale and bargained him down to a cool Thirty-Five Yen. He said something about it being in his family for generations. I'm so confused, Inuyasha. How could the jewel have been reformed so quickly?"

"Well, according to this time, it _was_ destroyed five hundred years ago." Inuyasha thought aloud. But it still didn't make any sense. "Kagome, did you notice anything odd about the jewel when you first found it?"

"No, why?"

"I don't know, I thought that maybe it might be a replica or something. I mean, it is odd that it just showed up out of nowhere. You didn't sense it from outside the building?" He asked as he got up and went to sit down beside her on the bed.

"Well, I guess that something compelled me to enter that particular building, but I wasn't thinking about it at the time." Kagome held her head in her hands and crinkled her brow in frustration. "When I hold it, though, I feel the same power that I felt with the original Shikon no Tama. So it must be real, right?"

"I guess..." He thought for a moment before looking her in the eye with a smile on his face. "What are we going to do with it?"

"I don't know. If it's the Shikon no Tama, though, making a wish should make it go away, right?" She asked with a hopeful glint in her eyes.

"Maybe. I don't want to risk it. It doesn't matter though, there aren't any youkai in this time to protect it from. So, I say you should just hang on to it for a while before you're positive what to do with it." He answered wisely.

"I just have a bad feeling about this, Inuyasha. Why would it appear now? Whenever we had Shikon no Kakera in the Sengoku Jidai, there was always something trying to get us. How can we be certain that it won't be the same way this time?" Kagome rambled on the verge of tears.

"We can't be. That's the problem with life, Kagome." Inuyasha pulled her into a comforting hug before continuing. "You can never be certain about anything in this world. You just have to go with what life throws at you. But I promise you, Kagome, that I won't let anything happen to you."

She looked up into his amber eyes, which held nothing but love for her and replied, "What about my family? Something could easily happen to them."

"I won't let anything happen to you or your family, Kagome." He answered her with a warm smile. "Trust me, Kagome."

* * *

The moon rose into the thick ink of the summer air, slowly making it's way to the center of the open sky. A countless number of stars shined with all their might behind the moon, giving it their utter support. The nocturnal creatures native to Japan began to make their way out into the night world as the sun sunk deeper over the edge of the horizon. A sharp wind picked up and rustled the fully bloomed trees, carrying with it the fallen leaves of the trees that didn't make it.

Piercing red eyes watched outside the Higurashi Shrine, nestled high upon the Goshinboku tree. They moved about with the grace of a cat, leaping from one branch to another with lightning-fast speed. A light quickly flipped on in the living room of the Higurashi house, startling the creature and causing it to reflexively jump behind a nearby bush for safety. The creature could faintly make out the silhouette of a fully-grown person moving about in the house. Creeping in for a closer look, the creature made his way towards the house as quietly as possible.

Sliding up towards the door, the creature made it half way before he ran into an exposed trashcan. Stumbling from the fall, the creature once again jumped behind the bush it was hiding behind just moments before.

* * *

Inuyasha had a weird feeling that someone was watching him. Getting up for a much-needed glass a water, Inuyasha slowly made his way downstairs. The kitchen lights were off, casting an eerie shadow throughout the entire house. Inuyasha quickly flipped on the light switch on a nearby wall and leisurely made his way to the cupboard where the glasses were kept.

Before he could open the wooden cupboard a sharp crash from outside caught his attention. Turning around swiftly, Inuyasha quickly scanned the backyard from behind the protective glass of the sliding door. His instincts were on alert as he slid the door open with practiced ease.

* * *

The side door to the house slid open in one fluid movement and out stepped a red-clad figure with waste length silver hair. Two dog-ears perched atop his head swiveled in every direction, trying to pick up the sound he swore he heard from the inside. Inuyasha noticed the knocked over trashcan lying discarded beside the small stone path that led to the Goshinboku.

"You must be the hanyou Inuyasha." A small voice hissed from somewhere in the dark. Inuyasha honed his senses in on the sound and tried to locate the source of the voice. Before he could hear out the suspect a tall, shadowed figure stepped out from behind a nearby bush. "I have come for the Shikon no Tama...and you."

The creature stepped fully out into the light of the moon. He looked human enough, except for his long green hair and glowing red eyes. The 'man' stood about six feet tall, just a bit taller than Inuyasha, and wore a dark purple trench coat. He almost looked like a character from one of Sota's comic books. He strolled over to Inuyasha with a confident gleam in his eyes. Inuyasha could sense the man's youki.

_But I thought that there weren't any youkai in Kagome's time?'_

"I have heard a lot about you, _hanyou_." The youkai spat the word out as if it burned his tongue. Inuyasha didn't have time to blink before the youkai had him pinned to the ground, a cold barrel pressed to his temple. "If you know what's best for you, you won't move."

Inuyasha didn't know what the youkai had pressed to his head, but he decided not to concern himself with it. Kneeing the youkai in the groin, Inuyasha gained the upper hand and pinned the youkai beneath him by his shoulders. Pressing the palm of his hand against the youkai's throat, Inuyasha spat out a few choice curses before speaking to him directly.

"What do you want with the Shikon no Tama?" Inuyasha asked impatiently. The youkai tried to respond, but the pressure on his throat was too great. Inuyasha let up a little bit, just enough to let the youkai speak.

"Wouldn't you like to know!" The youkai's eyes suddenly changed from a bright red to a seemingly endless black. Inuyasha felt draw to those orbs, as if they were pulling in his very soul. He couldn't pull away. Inuyasha's momentary distraction cost him. The youkai pulled back a fist and sent it flying in Inuyasha's direction, landing squarely at the base of his jaw.

Inuyasha went flying back and skidded across the grass until he was backed against the Goshinboku. Shaking off the daze from the spell, Inuyasha slowly got to his feet. He suddenly realized that this was a battle that he might want to pay attention to. Inuyasha's hand instinctively went to the hilt of Tetsusaiga, but he gasped when he realized that he left his fabled sword up in Kagome's bedroom.

"Poor hanyou, what are you going to do without your precious sword?" The youkai laughed. "Yes, I know all about you. I've been watching you for some time now." The youkai took a step closer to Inuyasha and held his gun out in a offensive manner.

Inuyasha suddenly remembered where he had seen the weapon before. Last week he was watching a movie on the picture box that Kagome called a "TV" and the men shot these "guns" at each other. Kagome later explained to him that they were like tiny bows that shot these small metallic arrows at an alarming rate. In the movies, Inuyasha witnessed how much damage those "gun" things could cause.

Thinking only for Kagome's safety, Inuyasha quickly charged at the youkai before him. A loud pop resounded in Inuyasha's ears a millisecond before the pain hit him. A searing pain drove though InuYasha's shoulder and felt as if it were trying to make it's way straight though him. Letting out a slightly audible hiss of pain, Inuyasha instinctively grasped his shoulder before glaring at the youkai that had shot him.

"You little shit, can't you fight me without your weapon?" Inuyasha growled. "What's the matter? Are you scared."

Contrary to the response that Inuyasha had been expecting, the youkai smiled at the hanyou with a torturous glint in his eyes. He took a step closer to Inuyasha, stopping a mere three feet from the hanyou.

"You obviously failed to realize what type of bullets I equipped this gun with, _hanyou._" The youkai practically laughed. "These bullets are filled with a paralyzing toxin developed specifically for bringing down youkai. You should feel you muscles begin to betray you any minute now."

As if on cue, the searing pain in Inuyasha's shoulder began to spread throughout his entire body. He felt his muscles go numb a second later before his knees gave out and he fell to the ground. Inuyasha tried desperately to pull himself up, but nothing would work. He was defenseless and all he could do was lay there and wait for his fate.

"You coward." Inuyasha barely managed to whisper before everything went black.

* * *

AN: See, now I actually have a plot going. What's gonna happen to poor inu? Well, read and find out! REVIEW! 


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